Make me a baby, Hotpants!
by dashingdiscofox
Summary: Toph is tired of being the only one in the Gaang without a child. So she asks the assistance of a special someone... It is a "futuristic" fic, so there are a few elements from the Legend of Korra... Not very graphic, but still, M!
1. The idea

It's been two decades since the end of the War. The Fire Nation has become a peaceful folk, or at least very less bellicose one. The Earth Nation has regained all of its territory and the armies of all Nations are now decorative and reused as local police. This is why the Avatar can picnic with his old friends without any disturbance, even if their party consists of a Fire Lord, a wealthy heiress of the Beifong, an important Councilman, the last airbender alive and the most powerful healer of all the Nations. Aang stretches on the ground, smiling.

"I'm happy we could all make it this time!" he says.

"I am, too" yawns Sokka. "Suki didn't want me to leave the kids but… I think she can manage two days alone. She's not a Kyoshi Warrior for nothing!"

"That's so inconsiderate of you!" complains Katara. "She could have come. She was in the Gaang for a while, and proved worthy of it."

"She didn't want to" counters her brother. "She hates ship travelling."

Toph yawns too. They had just eaten plenty of food and she is feeling full and rested.

"And you, Toph, did you get any problem getting here?" asks Aang.

"Oh no. Of course the whole Republic City is currently wondering where their Chief Police is, but…"

"You mean you let them _alone_?" cuts Aang, springing to his feet.

"Uh… Yeah. They can manage."

The Avatar facepalms slowly, getting a fit of giggles out of his wife.

"Sparky's pretty mysterious" Toph goes on. "He's so quiet I nearly don't see him."

Zuko glances at her, even if her spaced out eyes couldn't perceive it.

"We're past 30. Don't you think you could stop with the nicknames?" he mumbles.

"You wish, Fire Princess."

Aang decides to step in before they go on in a myriad of insults.

"Yeah. It's the first time I see you in years, Zuko. You finally succeed at getting an afternoon of free time?"

"Yes. The Fire Nation had a calm year for the first time in… centuries. I hope it will last."

They all nod. It wasn't easy for the renegade son of a powerful and admired Fire Lord to completely turn the Nation around and spread the anti-war ideal to every house and heart. There are a lot of riots since Zuko's coronation, and even some assassination attempts.

"You _do_ look worn out" admits Katara. "You need vacation. Why don't you and Mai…"

"Mai is… Mai wouldn't follow me anymore" cuts Zuko.

Everyone stares and then feels the awkwardness of the revelation.

"Are you and her…" starts Sokka.

"No. No. It is not what I meant. She is still the Fire Lady and… probably will be until our deaths" Zuko clarifies. "She just… does her stuff, and me mine. She is still a bit shocked by the… way Azula killed herself and she is seeking comfort in her friends, that is all."

"Wait!" yelps Aang. "What happened to Azula?"

"Oh. True. You don't know."

Zuko clears his throat. His audience shifts to listen to the news.

"Azula, my sister, never came back from her fight with Katara…"

He looks at the waterbender. She shivers, remembering the insane cries and sobbing of the fallen Princess.

"So we put her in a special cell in prison, a padded one so she couldn't hurt herself. Guards were feeding her so she couldn't have access to a knife of any kind. She was restrained to hinder her movements in a way she couldn't firebend. It wasn't a real life for her, but I couldn't let her go after all she has done. But last month, she died."

"Yeah, we got that, but how?" interrupts Toph.

"I was getting to that part. She probably manipulated one of her guard to loosen her restrains a little bit. We all know how good she was at lying. But she didn't free herself. Or maybe she did, in a way. She zapped herself in the back."

Katara and Aang gasp.

"When we found her we didn't see what was going on. Then I flipped her and I saw the deep burn. She couldn't have survived that. You know that, Katara. You know how strong she was."

She nods. Aang nearly died that way, not so long ago, and the scar is still there on his back, a reminder of Ozai's proud daughter.

"I'm… We're sorry to hear that, Zuko" Katara offers. "She was a monster, but she didn't deserve to end like that."

"I know."

"I could have taken off her bending!" exclaims Aang. "I should have thought of it!"

"It wouldn't have done her good" adds Zuko. "My father is now a limp form in his cell. He is lifeless. It is not better."

They all sit in certain sadness. Azula was still young. There was still hope for her.

"Well, you do know how to turn down the mood, Hotpants" comments Toph. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight guys!"

The rest of them wish her goodbye.

"Well, that's a good idea" yawns Sokka. "See you tomorrow!"

"Wait for me, bro."

Katara kisses the bald top of Aang's head and just like that, Zuko and Aang are alone. Not far away they hear a loud thud and they know Toph just created a tent out of thin ground.

"Could you light a fire?" asks Aang. "I'm not as weatherproof as you are, and it's colder in here than in Republic City."

"Sure."

With a flick of his wrist, Zuko starts a big and jolly campfire on the pile of logs.

"You haven't lost your touch" notes the Avatar.

"Oh no. I do have lost it. My daughter is better than me, now. She practices a lot. She has great mentors."

"How is she?"

"Perfect" Zuko says with a broad smile. "She has all the power of my father, yet all the wisdom of my uncle. I couldn't ask for more. She is really inspiring."

Aang smiles too, liking the tender side of his friend.

"Shut it, Father Lord, I'm trying to sleep!" shouts Toph from nearby.

"Then go farther!" snaps Zuko.

There is a shaking rumble when the blind earthbender drags her rock tent further into the woods.

"What a pain" sighs the Fire Lord.

"She _is_ bitter" grants Aang.

"What is going on with her?"

"I don't know. Maybe she... feels alone."

"Hasn't she met someone yet?" wonders Zuko.

"No. I don't think so." whispers his friend.

"But she is a Beifong! That is almost royalty! And she is pretty."

He swallows hard. Why did he just say that?

"I mean…"

"No, I know" reassures Aang. "But she's proud. And she's a Chief Police. She _is_ quite intimidating."

Zuko ponders that. Her manly manners probably disgust some pretenders too, but Aang is too sweet and pacific to ever say something like that.

"I think she's sad because everyone here has at least one baby" the Avatar goes on.

"Really? Can't she… _mold_ herself a baby out of mud or something?"

The airbender laughs loudly.

"It wouldn't surprise me if she tried!"

"She still has time, though" says Zuko. "And she always seemed to be happy with herself."

"She is. She doesn't complain, at least."

They stay in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest and the crackling fire.

"I think I'm going to join Katara" finally announces Aang. "It's getting late."

"Goodnight then. I am glad I came."

"Well, it's always an honor to have the Fire Lord with us…"

Aang does a short bow with his hands before his chest, mimicking the Fire Nation custom.

"It is always an honor, Avatar."

Zuko stands up and bows too, letting his long hair flow in front of his shoulders and around his collar. Aang disappears into the darkness, where the tents are. Zuko stays and lets his mind drift on how weird it is that a girl –well, woman– like Toph doesn't have a line-up of desperate men trying to be good enough for her. To be _worthy_ of her. Zuko dozes, staring at the fire and thinking about empty green eyes.

…

"Wait up, Twinkletoes. You know I can't climb on that fur monster…"

"He'll wait, I swear" says Aang, helping Katara on Kuji.

Toph panics when she feels her feet being lifted off the ground, but then she realized someone is pushing her upon the flying bison. And since Sokka's gone on his new invention –some kind of dangerous thingy she doesn't want to know about– that floats safely enough for him to travel on, she figures the only man strong and tall enough to push her on the top of the resting animal is Zuko. And there's the spicy scent, the unnatural warmness of his hands on her hips, too.

"Well, thanks Princess!" she says to prevent her mind from lingering on the touch.

She grips the rough fur under her palms and achieves the top where Katara waits to grab her.

"Hey! That's not Appa!" Toph shrieks.

"No. Appa died some years ago. But we found a community of wild flying bison in an Air Temple near the North Pole and we tamed them. This is Kuji" explains Aang.

"Well, tamer Twinkletoes and Sweetness. I've heard everything."

She settles herself on the new animal, gripping the saddle.

"Bye bye Hotpants! Nice seeing you! Well. You know. Not _seeing_ you, really…"

"I get it. Bye Toph" answers the Fire Lord. "Bye Aang and Katara!"

Toph figures he's waving his hand at them since she feels Katara squirming to wave back.

"Yip, yip!"

Then the flying horror takes off and she holds for her life on the stool.

"It's fine, Toph. You should be used to flying by now" hushes the waterbender near her.

"Well, nope. I don't like being blindfolded."

Katara chuckles lightly.

"You're way too happy, Sweet Queen. When's it for?"

"Uh… What?"

"Your baby. You. You have a baby. In your belly" articulates the earthbender.

"Oh, I don't think so…"

Toph braces herself to touch the abdomen of her friend.

"I could say for sure on the ground, but yeah, there's something. I felt it today, when you climbed on App… I mean Kuji. It probably was too small before, but yeah. Tiny wee heartbeat here."

"Oh! Really! Oh…"

She fidgets more.

"Why don't you tell Twinkeltoes?" asks Toph.

"I'll wait. It's dangerous when he's driving. He gets distracted easily. But… That's such good news Toph!"

"Why? It's not like it's your first…" she answers more dryly than intended.

"I know, but so far none of our children are airbenders and… I can tell it makes Aang anxious. What if he _is_ the last airbender after all…?"

"Ah, come on! You still have plenty of time to make sweet love to each other and repopulate the Air Temples…" Toph goes on.

"… Well… Thanks. That was quite crude but… Yeah, you're right."

Katara is so excited that even if they're not on the ground, Toph can see her happiness. She smiles for her friend. That's a couple she never thought could manage. But here they are, having babies like the world depends on them… Well, the world _does_ depend on them. The balance between the elements, at least. She notices that every one of them became somebody whose fate matters, after all. When Sokka'll die, they'll have to re-elect someone from the Southern Water Tribe, and nobody is as talented with people as he is. When Aang'll die, there'll be a new Avatar to find. When Katara'll die, she'll leave the world to the next generation of healers and strong women she mentored. When Zuko'll die, his radical ideas for a better world will die with him. The idea of _his_ death creates a strange feeling in the depths of her stomach. And when she'll die, she'll leave behind the Metalbending Academy, the Police she created. But no one to wear the name Beifong. She always thought the mother side of every woman was a myth, something her mother told her just to be sure she'd get an heir. But now, she's almost crying thinking about babies. Katara's last one, Bumi, for example. Toph was staying at their place when Katara gave birth to him. He was so cute with his gurgling and squirming. She had the right to take him in her arms, feeling the dull heartbeat, the little breathing pattern, how alive he was. Katara told her he looked like herself with darker complexion and round blue eyes. She envies her, a bit. She has two small replicas of herself, and another on the way. What she'd give to have a little baby Toph… A Toph that could see…

"Hey! Aang, let's trade places, it's been long enough!" calls out Katara.

"Yeah."

Toph listens to the soft padding of Katara on the wooden straddle, the rustling of Ap… _Kuji_'s fur.

"Still good, Toph?"

"Always, Twinkletoes" the earthbender assures. "But just saying, are we there yet?"

Aang huffs shortly.

"Don't be like Kya! And yes, in an hour or so you'll be home."

"Thanks for the lift."

"It was on our way."

He sits by her.

"You look sad, Toph" the airbender says.

"I was thinking about our deaths."

"That isn't… merry, to say the least."

"I know. But it was okay because we all left a good thing behind us."

Aang chuckles.

"Yes. We did. We just, like, saved the world…"

Toph snorts.

"Yeah. And _I_ was your teacher" she claims.

"Well, Katara and Zuko were too but… You were there for my biggest challenge."

"You mean pushing that boulder? Or fighting the Fire Lord?"

The clear laughing of the Avatar echoes all around.

"The boulder, of course! I was in my Avatar state when I fought Ozai, so it wasn't so hard."

She ponders on that, wondering how hard it could be to be the Avatar, and yet having the security to know you won't be gone for long before reincarnate in a new body.

"There. You are sad again" insists Aang.

"It's nothing."

She feels a soothing hand on her tense shoulder.

"Toph. You don't know how to lie."

She smiles meekly.

"I'd like to have a child. Just, you know, to teach it my special tricks, my way of thinking" she finally explains.

"I understand. It's natural. Why don't you adopt?"

"I thought about it but… Being pregnant is something I want to experience, too."

"Then just find yourself a husband! Or a boyfriend…" exclaims Aang.

"Easy to say. Anyway, I don't want to lose my time into a relationship just to have a baby. I mean… Poor guy, the day he'll figure out all I wanted from him was to fecund me…"

"Well… That's a problem."

The Avatar thinks a moment.

"I don't really suggest it but… If you simply… sleep with a man, one night? Would it do?"

"I'm not a fan of one night stands, Twinkletoes, and I want to know the personality of the donor. I mean, I don't want a baby jerk! And I want a cute baby, not some hobo's crooked nose on my baby's face!"

"You are quite finicky" Aang sighs.

"I know."

Toph's face closes into sadness and thoughtfulness.

"I would propose to help you, but I have to admit I'd be too awkward to do it" he says, feeling himself blush.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't have sex with you, Twinkletoes. Sweetness here would crush me into wet little pieces of ice and I'm not really attracted to you. I guess it couldn't work out."

Aang sighs in relief.

"Then we have to think about someone single that you know and like…" he resumes.

Toph closes her mind, knowing what her brain wants her to shout out.

"Well, he isn't exactly single…" mumbles Aang.

"Speak up, I don't hear in all that wind."

"I was talking to myself."

"About who?"

Aang seems to hesitate. Maybe even playing with his fingers.

"Uh… You know, Zuko doesn't seem too happily wedded…"

A hot pool of emotion rushes to her cheeks.

"Hotpants?"

"Yeah. He… How can I say that…? He thinks you're cute, too. So… He won't be _disgusted_ if you ask him…"

Okay. The actual Fire Lord thinks she's cute. She feels like a teenager again and almost wants to giggle and roll around in pure bliss. She contents herself with a smile.

"Well, I don't know. Is _he_ cute?" she says back.

"Hm. Hard to tell for me. Hey! Katara! Do you think Zuko's cute?"

"Why are you asking me that?" yells his wife over the rushing wind.

"Just to know. General opinion."

"Well then… Yes. He is. Quite a lot, in fact. I mean, he's tall, probably quite strong, his eyes have a nice color and form, his jawline is…"

"Thanks! That'll be all!" cuts abruptly Aang.

Toph stifles a laugher.

"Jealous, Twinkletoes?"

"No. She just… overleaped the details you don't need to know."

"Yeah, sure. Don't worry, Madame Fussy Britches here is all into you. Inside out. Literally."

Aang is a tad confused by her sentence, but he just nods.

"So? Zuko then?" he says brightly.

"If he wants to, why not?"


	2. The proposal

It took four whole months for Toph to take her decision. She would ask casually the Fire Lord to have wild sex… No. No, she would ask him to be a gentleman and give her a baby. His baby. But her baby, mostly. She swallows hard, waiting near his quarters. Outside, in the courtyard, a young girl, maybe about 10 years old, is playing fetch with a tamed foxdog. Her giggle is high-pitched but she talks like him. Her footsteps are light and Toph has a hard time perceiving them. She'd like to see her, to check if her own baby will be as gorgeous as Zuko's daughter. She knows he's in the room next to her with another man. They are talking with vigor and she can tell the man is lying. She wants to burst into the room and report the lies and let the truth shine but now is not the time. Figures. Yeah, I just made you fire one of your advisor, but hey! Wanna fuck?

"This is the last time I say it, my Lord, and it is the last time you will see me!" angrily states the unknown man before storming off.

She could have feel Zuko's sigh from across the ocean. She slowly tiptoes into the room, perceiving that this might be his office.

"Hello Hotpants!"

He gasps in surprise, oblivious to her presence until now.

"Hey! Hi, Toph. Fancy seeing you here… You may come in."

Toph closes the door behind her, then walks to the chair in front of his worktable and sits on it.

"That bastard was lying" she announces, pointing in the direction the man took off.

"I know. He has been lying for a while. But I am pretty sure this is not the reason you left your beloved Republic City…"

He seems so tired in her ears, longing for a freedom he can't have anymore. By wanting everyone to be free he forgets his own rights.

"It won't be a relaxing interview" says Toph.

"I am used to that all the time, now. I motivate you to get to the point fast. I do have other responsibilities…"

"Relax, Princess. That cabbage guy at your door can wait. So. Twinkletoes and Sweet Queen are having another baby."

"That is good news! I shall write them a letter. Is that all?"

"I haven't even started. And stop being all stuck up and uncomfortable. You're not like that."

She knows Zuko is calming his breathing now. Maybe his heart is still pumping furiously because of that lying guy.

"I want a baby too" states Toph.

"Who is the lucky man?"

The earthbender senses the fake enthusiasm. She goes on.

"You."

If Zuko had been drinking, his entire beverage would have been vaporised into Toph's blank face.

"I… What?"

"I want you to make me a baby."

The Fire Lord just gapes at her for long minutes.

"Well. Aren't you going to say something?" she urges him, feeling more than nervous.

He clears his throat, begging his mind to sort out every emotion her request started.

"Uh… Toph. I am married."

That wasn't an adamant refusal. She bites her lip not to smile.

"Yes, but Aang told me that you weren't… satisfied with Mai. And that you could get a divorce if you'd want to."

"But I do _not_ want to!"

The room is suddenly really hot and Toph guesses that the torches assuring the lighting just all at once burst into gigantic flames.

"I am going to kill Aang."

"You don't stand a chance. The dude's the Avatar. But you don't have to quit Mai. All I want is one night with you, naked eventually and then I won't bother you for the rest of our lives. Deal?"

"No! No, Toph, it is not a deal! I do not know where you picked such a lousy idea… Are you drunk?"

He's so serious that she snorts.

"I'm not drunk. And I've thought about it. You're…"

She wants to abort the whole expedition and dig herself a hole underground.

"You're the only one that I… considered for that, Zuko."

He shivers slightly as she uses his real name for one of the few times in their lives.

"Why didn't you ask Sokka? I thought you had a crush on him."

"He's too happy and Suki would kick my ass too much" she answers.

He shouldn't feel the pride of being her only option, but he does.

"It is not a good idea" he finally mumbles.

"You're not saying no" she notes.

"I…"

He stops, wishing the time would stop as well, letting him the hours he needs to muse about everything Toph's implying.

"I love Mai" he declares instead.

"I know you do. But your marriage's a flop."

"She isn't passionate about anything! She… She is so cold and passive. She never shows affection. To me it wouldn't matter, but… I am not even sure she loves our daughter…"

"And the sex?"

He glances at Toph for a while, then sighs.

"She is a Fire Lady. Her usefulness is in making heirs. We have one now, so there is no need for her to let me in her bed now…"

Toph feels pity washing over her. This man deserves better. Yet, she's here, asking for an heir of her own. Like another Mai, she won't be there much after.

"I was just asking a service. But I can look somewhere else, I guess. Or I can die alone. It's not that bad."

He huffs.

"It's the worst thing, dying alone."

She notices absently that his speech is more fluid, that he doesn't articulate every syllable anymore.

"Can you let me one day to think about it?" Zuko asks after many latent minutes.

"Yes. Of course!"

"Ask a servant for the best guest room. Make yourself at home. Please don't destroy important structure with your bending. I will call you when I'll have made my decision. Deal?"

"Deal! Thanks, Father Lord!"

Toph springs to her feet, bypasses the table and hugs Zuko tightly.

"You _so_ won't regret it!"

And then she runs away.

"I didn't say yes!" he yells in the hallway, frightening the cabbage man by the way.

But he didn't say no.

…

He really didn't need that. He didn't need something else to worry about. He turns around in his bed. Too large bed. Too empty since Mai decided she needed a room to herself. Too soft. He isn't used to all the richness of his Palace, even after all those years living in it. It never felt like home. And then Toph. Why did she… say that? Proposed that. How does she think he can _live_ on like nothing happened knowing he could be touching her milky skin right now, squeezing tenderly her breast and pumping in and out of her willing body… His own moan shakes him up. He has been so lonely! It isn't fair! Zuko sits up in his bed, ignoring the bulge between his legs. He knows he has every right to take a lover, a concubine. Plenty of them, in fact. He didn't want to push Mai further apart, but… She can't be more estranged now. She is his wife by title and by their child, but not by heart anymore… And Toph. Wanting his seed, literally, and nothing more. He feels played with. He feels like a male horstrich, used for mating and reproduction and nothing more, then butchered and eaten. He needs to relax. He needs to relax and eventually get rid of this annoying hard-on. He wants Toph. That is pretty clear. He'd be relieved, for now, and she'd be content. It is not that much of a bad idea and it is not as if Mai was offering something more interesting. But he should be going to see _her_ first, trying to convince her to conceive a Prince, maybe. Yes. He will do that. Mai, and if she refuses like he knows she will, Toph. Zuko smiles to himself as he leaves his bed, looking for his robe. This is a perfect plan. Totally respectful, too. He tiptoes silently to the Fire Lady's quarters. He knocks at Mai's door, giving her five minutes to present herself before he goes to Toph. But she opens rather quickly.

"Zuko? Are you all right?" she yawns and deep inside of him he knows why me married her.

"Yes. I was just thinking… about you and…"

She smiles faintly and he feels like a jerk now for even _thinking_ about cheating on her.

"I love you. I miss you" he whispers, reaching for her face.

She sinks into the caress.

"I thought you'd never come…"

She yanks slowly at his robe, towing him inside.

…

He is back to be a Fire Lord now. Not some poor man influenced by any pretty woman entering his quarters. No. Not anymore. Zuko sits sternly on his throne, Mai by his side. She looks radiant today. His wife. His sad but still gorgeous wife. He watches as his daughter dances with the flames she is producing. She smiles with it. She is a child, a playful one. As soon as her cobalt fire extinguishes, Zuko claps his hands.

"That was amazing!" he compliments. "You are making your mother and I so proud…"

Mai agrees by nodding her head stiffly. Their unique child bows to them and then exits the throne room.

"Why didn't you congratulate her?" he asks his wife.

"You did. I don't want her to think she is perfect and that she doesn't need teachers anymore!"

"No. You are… aggressive because she looks like a healthy Azula. You need to get over that!"

"I will do my mourning as I wish to!" Mai snaps.

She ceremoniously gets up and walks away. Zuko sighs again, a bad habit he had taken after his impossible wife.


	3. The act

Two days later, back to the starting point. Unable to sleep and seriously considering jerking off like some teenager with ragging desire, Zuko groans and starts to pace. It is clear that he will have to wait a couple of weeks before crawling back to Mai like the needy husband he is. He is exhausted by this platonic dance between them. Tonight, he will go ask Toph what exactly she wants from him and give it to her. Zuko drapes himself in his robes again. Toph's room is quite far away, in another pavilion of the Palace. He takes his time. He knows now that this liaison will remain secret, and that he will benefit from it the time it lasts. He goes to knock on the door but Toph opens it before his knuckles could make contact.

"You told me to wait one day! It's almost been a week!" she hisses.

"Only four days, to be exact. Let me in?"

Scowling, she obliges.

"I am here to ask you about the details of our deal. What you want, specifically."

"Oh. So you agree?"

"Not yet. Tell me your conditions."

Toph closes the door and smirks.

"I want you to have sex with me. You don't even have to… do it all the way. You can jerk off and come inside. Maybe once a week until I'm pregnant. Then I'll leave. And we'll see each other on our annual Gaang picnic, and we won't tell a word about the origin of this baby."

"What about Aang? He _is_ the one that suggested it."

"I'll tell him you refused. It is, after all, the reaction I expected."

Zuko hums as he rests his chin in his palm, thinking.

"I don't know." he says slowly.

"Why?"

"The sex part. I want us to have sex. Real sex. I want more than what I get with myself."

"Hm. I'm not your concubine, Hotpants."

"Then I don't think it is a good idea after all. Good luck on your life-changing fieldtrip to find a genitor, Toph!" he says lightly, heading for the door.

He smiles to himself when he feels his feet sink into the floor. Toph is on him the second after, making him shift dangerously and fall soundly on the ground. Her hands are on his face, seeing him having so much fun with his little joke. He shivers when she touches his scar, not liking showing off this part of him.

"Katara didn't lie" whispers Toph. "You are handsome."

"What? What kind of conversation do you two…"

He is cut short by a soft mouth on his. How he wants this! He closes his arms around Toph's lower back and pushes her flush against him. She moans when she feels his arousal, hard on her thigh. He does want this, after all. The grip on his feet lets go and he spreads his legs for Toph to settle between them. She starts to hump him a little, she must be impatient.

"Toph… Toph, we should get to the bed…"

She nods because his voice is honey in her ears and because he's a tad short on breath. She is confused when he lifts her, smacking herself for not having been attentive to his words. Totally lost in space without her feet on the ground, she grips the silky robe that still somehow covers him. She feels the familiar bedspread behind her calves and she lets go of him. The earthbender listens since Zuko is not on her already and she hears the silk slide off of his body. What she'd give to see that display… That Mai girl is luckier than she thinks. She jumps a little when his hands tug at her nightgown.

"You really can't see, can you?" he asks.

"Took you long enough to notice that I'm blind, Princess!"

"It is not what I meant. You can't see because you are off the ground, right?"

"Yeah. But it'd help if you were on the bed too."

So he does as she wants.

"I thought it'd be more awkward" he goes on.

"Really, why are you still talking, Sparky?"

He huffs silently. She is nervous and he can see it. She always becomes snappy when she gets anxious. He rids her of the nightgown, marveling at the naked body under it. Toph is suddenly blushing violently. Zuko leans on and kisses the reddened cheek.

"You are gorgeous."

His fingers rest at the nape of her neck, threading themselves in her jet black hair. Zuko pulls at the pins keeping them in her trademark bun and her hair cascade into a thick, straight mass of smoothness. She looks like some kind of mythic goddess, flushed and disheveled. He kisses a path on her collarbone as he massages her scalp, getting rough groans out of her.

"Just fuck me already!" she hisses as the Fire Lord presses a hickey on her neck.

He makes a short sound expressing his negation and continues down her chest. Zuko cups her breasts in his hands, weighting them and caressing them. They seem fragile to him, like any other part of Toph's anatomy. She is made out of the purest porcelain. His thumbs graze her nipples and she whimpers, arching her back. The earthbender never thought being fondled could be so pleasant. She wants so much more. She wanted a baby, but she didn't know what lust was. Her groping fingers finally make contact with Zuko's body, squeezing his shoulders.

"I want to see you" she begs.

He understands, so he flips them over. Toph's blindness is quite impressive when she is not on the floor since she isn't used to be out of help from her bending. She stumbles a bit with her fingers and then proceeds to look at him. She is not looking, though. Her stare is fixed on the bedhead for now. But her soft, white hands get alive.

"Where's your royal headpiece?" she demands as she explores his long, silky hair without encountering the usual metallic royal symbol.

"I don't sleep with it. It's a pin! I could kill someone with it!"

She shrugs and details his face. She notices he always backs off a little when she grazes his bad side so she doesn't insist on it. Instead she tries to make a mental picture of the father of her future child. The fair skin, too warm and flawless. His straight, sharp nose. The curve of his only brow, the worry lines on his forehead. She traces his eyelid.

"What color are your eyes?"

"Amber. Or golden. Or yellow. It depends on who's describing."

"Amber it will be."

She feels his cheek stretch up as he smiles. She discovers his chin, the sweet, hard line of his jaw, the shell of his ear. She lets her fingertips linger on his lips until he licks them. She giggles a little, and then goes south. Under her palms she perceives the frantic beating of his heart, pumping blood into the thick outline of his neck. The jutting collarbone, the broadness of his shoulders. When did he grow up so much? He was still the scanty teenager the Gaang once knew in her mind. She lets her hands squander down his torso, amazed by the hard planes she finds there. Why does he hide _that_ under all those layers of clothing? Zuko groans when Toph's small palms reach his hips. She traces along the rim of his underpants, driving him mad with lust. He decides to urge her, going back to toy with her pale breast. Toph shudders, overwhelmed by every sensation. The way she grinds herself is threatening to make him lose control so Zuko flips her again. He kisses her taunt belly, letting his hands roam on the perfect skin of her legs. Toph takes a sharp intake of breath when she feels Zuko's nose down her navel. She doesn't understand what he intends to do until his tongue gently licks her wet folds. She brutally closes her thighs around his head in reflex.

"Wha… What are you doing?" Toph stutters.

Zuko slowly peels her legs off of him, maintaining them in a strong grip.

"Pleasuring you."

He goes down again, lapping happily. Toph screams in delight, flabbergasted by her own pleasure. The damp muscle penetrates her and she crashes onto the mattress. How has she been able to live without that in her life? Her voice is rash from all the panting and the noises she's making. But then the Fire Lord inserts a finger into her and it isn't pure bliss anymore. Something hurts down there. She hisses in pain when a second digit enters. Toph Beifong is not a weak blind little girl. She gulps and braces herself. Zuko suckles at the small bundle of nerves he just found and Toph suddenly forgets all the pain.

"Fuck, Princess!"

He growls low in his throat and she grips the bed sheets for her dear life. But he stops and she yowls in disappointment.

"No nicknames" he commends in a husky tone.

"Yeah. Fine. Anything you want."

His thumb replaces his tongue as his fingers continue sliding in her core. He places feather light kisses along her shoulders, enjoying her short pleas for more and her satisfied moans, getting so hard it _throbs_. Toph arches more and more, lifting her hips to meet his hand and he knows she is close. So Zuko concentrates on himself, on his inner fire.

"What was that?" shrieks Toph as a sudden heat grazes her thighs.

"I just burned my underpants."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course you did. Good idea Hotpants. I mean… Hey, it has a double meaning now!"

He admits her point with a low chuckle, then he settles between her spread legs.

"Are you sure you want this, Toph?"

"Yes. Please. Zuko."

The firebender doesn't see any fear in her sightless eyes so he complies. Holding her hips, he pushes inside, slowly, restraining himself from snapping his pelvis forward into the tight, wet heat. Toph emits a struggled noise and he keeps an eye on her face. She is biting her lip, drawing blood.

"Are you alright?" asks the Fire Lord.

"It'll be okay. Be gentle, please…"

He withdraws and waits before pushing back in. He notices pinkish streaks on his erection. Something that looks like feminine wetness and… blood. Toph is a virgin, Zuko realises with horror.

"How old are you?" he demands to distract her as he goes back inside her.

"I'm turning 33."

She is so _old_ to still be pure! And with a body like hers he never thought…

"Faster, Princ… Zuko. Please."

He slams harder in. He feels bad to be her first, somehow. But it'd be lying to say he doesn't enjoy that a lot. And Toph is not torn by the pain of being deflowered by his thick member anymore. It's not pleasant to her yet, but she likes the hot puffs of air Zuko breathes in her face. She wonders if he breathes out tiny flames. He moans softly in her ear and she wraps her arms around his shoulders. His skin is becoming warmer. She has the feeling it would sizzle if she'd drop water on him. She figures he doesn't notice his hardness is melting hot inside her, putting aflame her every nerve. Zuko picks up speed, forgetting about the virginal state of his partner. He rams in and out, making their skins slap loudly together. Toph arches suddenly, the Fire Lord having touched something in her core. And again. She yelps to communicate her joy and he gets it, angling himself to hit the special spot at every thrust. Toph becomes rumbustious in her pleasure, spurring her lover for going even faster. Zuko knows he is close. He feels her tight walls clamp around him, her nails on his back, her perfect breast bouncing to his movements. She is gorgeous and he is having her. He is the first to have her, maybe the last, too. The feeling of exclusivity drives him over the edge and he shudders, grunting her name. Toph feels his release in her and the idea of his seed being part of her baby gets her to cry out loud. The usual blackness of her sight turns white for a few moments and her breath becomes raged. Her muscles tense and she hears the blood pumping in her whole body. She breathes out as Zuko withdraws, rolling limply to her side, panting.

"That was… great" whispers Toph, still under the spell of her first orgasm.

"Thanks. Hope it will work."

It takes a few seconds for Toph to catch on.

"Ah! Yes, of course, the baby. Yeah."

Zuko smiles. He doesn't want her to be pregnant yet, not really.

"Can I stay here for the night?" he demands, cuddling her in his arms.

"Yeah. I guess you can since you own the place…"

He chuckles lightly, already dozing off. Toph wonders why they don't get under the bed sheets until she feels warmed up as she spoons against Zuko. Those firebenders, they could survive alone in the North Pole. She closes her eyelids, not that it changes anything to her, and snuggles closer to the spicy scent of her lover's skin and sweat. His heartbeat is powerful, a small war drum pounding as she goes to sleep.


	4. The wait

"So? Still nothing?"

"Nothing. But she's sure I _can_ have one."

"Maybe it wasn't the right time of the month" suggests Zuko.

"We made love sixteen times in the past month, Father Lord" snaps Toph. "And still, I have my period! What are _you_ doing wrong?"

"I don't do anything wrong!"

"Yeah? And the time you came in my mouth instead of my…"

"Toph!" he cuts. "That wasn't planned, and you should be quiet about those things."

"It's been two whole months, Zuko."

"I know. But sometimes it takes time…"

She shrugs.

"At least it's not unpleasant."

"_Not unpleasant_?" hisses Zuko. "That is all? Having sex with me is _bearable_, nothing more?"

"Oh, you know what I meant. Don't be so hot tempered."

Toph sits on his lap and loops her arms around his neck.

"You're a sex god and you know it."

He grins and she's proud of her ability to soften him. She kisses him with an open mouth, inviting him to plunder her tongue. He was her first kiss, too. Except from the chaste ones she gave her parents and Suki once. But she didn't intend to, she thought it was Sokka. So it doesn't count. She doesn't tell Zuko. He would probably freak out. Instead she grips his hard, royal collar and intensifies the embrace. Zuko groans faintly. Suddenly Toph stops and stands.

"Someone's coming!" she whispers.

She disappears into the floor, leaving the Fire Lord panting and slightly aroused. There is a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

Mai enters and panic floods inside him.

"Oh. It is you, dear."

"Don't you dare fake happiness to see me, Zuko. Who is she?"

"Who are you…?"

"Your concubine!" she cuts, rage flaming into her usually blank expression.

"I do not…"

"Yes you do! My servants told me! You are never in your bed in the morning, and you are always seen in the guest's pavilion! You act and talk like the well fucked man you are and it's been months since your last visit in _my_ bed! _Who is she_?"

Zuko stares at his angry wife, amazed to see she can actually frown. And are those tears glistening in her eyes?

"If you were a loving wife, I wouldn't need to sleep with someone else."

"You are a jerk! Azula was right! I… betrayed her for you, I let her die in that insane prison, and now, _now_ you are hurting me again!"

"I didn't intend to. You know how I love you. But I need more tenderness from you than what you are offering me. I am sorry."

Mai lets out a frustrated groan and he notices the sharp blades in her hands. That is it. He is going to die. But his wife chooses otherwise and slams the door behind her as she leaves. He sighs in relief. Toph emerges from the ground.

"I'm so sorry to hear that" she offers.

"Oh. Don't be. Be glad she doesn't know who you are…"

Toph scowls.

"I know how to defend myself. So do you want us to stop our affair?"

"No. Please. I promised you a baby; it'd be dumb to stop now."

"As you wish. See you soon then."

"Okay."

She pecks him on the lips and goes. Zuko hits his head on the desk, feeling doomed to familial problems and hatred.


	5. The news

"Oh _fuck_!" whines Toph at the top of her lungs.

She grinds with more force, seeking to push Zuko deeper. The Fire Lord's hips snap upward, sending Toph bouncing on him. She likes being blind. It makes the sex a completely spiritual experience. It stimulates her other senses. All the sexy noises Zuko is making, the contractions of his long body, the special smell of him, the taste of his skin… She moans and shivers, reaching her peak. The firebender follows shortly after, sending hot gushes into her core. She lies down immediately, not wanting the precious fluid to escape her.

"And to think… that all I wanted was a one night stand…" she gasps.

"Yeah… How sad…"

She laughs. She likes him. A lot. She's happy she chose him, and she's exalted that he agreed. Maybe if she'd known that before she would have done something. Maybe… pushing Mai off her throne. Toph listens to the light snore Zuko produces when he sleeps on his back. She wants to see him, but she's afraid it'll wake him up if she sticks her hands in his face. She puts her foot on his calve instead and contemplates the regular going of his blood system. He's healthy. She puts her other foot on the floor. She asked the servants to lower her bed so she could touch the ground all the time if she wanted to. She jumps as she sees someone else in the room. But the person is really still, she doesn't know for sure where he/she is. Toph stands, ready to fight, and waits. She explores the room slowly, paying attention to any wave, any movement. She's afraid it's Mai. But the signal is so light, it's almost like…

"Twinkletoes?" Toph calls out.

Zuko grunts something about being late behind her, but Aang doesn't answer. So no Avatar. It feels as if the person was standing on the furniture. It isn't a real contact with the ground. She walks around, but nothing. Is he/she following her? She climbs back on the bed, ready to wake up the Fire Lord, but she realises the person is on the bed, too. It must be a ratant or some small animal. She fidgets in the bed sheets. Empty! What is wrong with her? She lies down next to Zuko, facing him. Her sightless eyes open wide when she sees the thing between them. It's her. It's _in_ her!

"Zuko! Sparky, wake up!"

He mumbles as she shakes him.

"Wh… What? Why? Toph, why?"

"It worked! There is something! You can't see it because you're not me, but there is something!"

"Wh… Where? On the bed? A ratant again? Do you want me to kill it?"

"No! It's our baby! I'm pregnant!"

He sits up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It's beating, here…"

She takes his hand and puts it against her flat stomach.

"I… don't feel anything."

"That's because you're blind, Hotpants!"

He chuckles, sharing her happiness at the unexpected new.

"So that means… you are going away?" he has to ask, darkening the mood.

"Well… Not now. I want to be sure, first. And I don't want to have a miscarriage…"

"You could stay. I could make you my concubine and the baby would be… mine too. It would be a royal baby." Zuko says, hopeful.

"I… I can't. No. I don't want you to do that to Mai. You love her. And I want my baby. I want to raise it by myself. It wasn't the deal."

"What if… it's a firebender?"

Toph frowns. She hasn't thought about that possibility.

"Well… I'll let it get trained by firebenders. Even, maybe, uncle Zuko here…"

He smiles sadly.

"How do you want to call it?" Toph asks.

"You just made it clear that it is not mine anymore. I don't have to name it."

"Come on! I'm sure you did think about it."

Zuko laughs to himself. She reads him too well, now.

"My uncle Iroh had a son who was killed in the war. He once said to me that since my father had, uh, disowned me as a son, he considered me as his own."

"He was really fond of you" admits Toph.

"Yes. When Mai was pregnant, I was hoping for a boy so I could call him Lu Ten, like my uncle's son." he finishes.

"Then, Lu Ten it will be if it's a boy! Oh, wait. Do the Gaang knows about this story?"

"No, they don't."

"Fine. If it's a girl, I'll call her Lin" announces Toph.

"Lin Beifong. That's pretty."

"I know."

She scoots closer to him. She'll miss him.

…

"Stay."

"Don't make it harder than it already is, Princess. Twinkletoes's on his way. We will have to act as if you just refused yourself to me."

"It would be easier for you to just…"

"I said no. And you don't want me around, believe me" cuts Toph. "I think Mai might need you, now. Go back to her."

He clenches his jaw, feeling the raw anger building up in him. He doesn't want her to leave. Ever. He wishes she was sterile. He'd grown to like her. Maybe a little too much.

"Yeah! Good idea, Sparky! Try to look fierce! Twinkletoes will buy it!"

"You used me" he hisses.

"It was a _deal_! You _agreed_! It's too late!"

He needs to hit something, so he burns some of the grass at their feet.

"Listen Father Lord" Toph whispers. "I liked being with you. I'm glad I came. I promise I'll tell the baby you weren't a jerk. You're a good guy…"

Zuko can't stand it anymore so he grabs her and interrupts her speech with his lips on hers. Toph shivers slightly.

"Don't" she says as they part. "Don't make me fall in love with you. It'll screw everything."

"I thought you loved me already" he replies, tired of hiding his feelings.

"Maybe I do. It won't help you to know, though."

Far away in the sky, the round, fluffy shape of Kuji the flying bison appears.

"Bye Hotpants. See you at the Gaang picnic!"

"Yes. If I manage to come…"

"You'll manage. Did you know I can build soundproof tents with my bending…?"

He tries not to get hopeful. She is back to her old self, kidding, teasing, nothing more. Nothing happened. The baby has an unknown father now.

"Hey Twinkletoes!"

"Hi Toph."

"Hey, guess what? Father Lord here didn't want to make me a baby!" she yells.

"Oh…"

Aang blushes when he notices the stern look on the Fire Lord's face.

"Hello Zuk…"

"What is wrong with you?" he storms, getting closer to the bison. "Do I look like some kind of mating male to you? I am a married Fire Lord, Avatar! Not some whore!"

Toph chuckles.

"I'm… I'm sorry Zuko. I just thought…"

"You thought wrong, Aang! I am beginning to question your all mighty wisdom, now!"

Zuko decides to do a dramatic exit, walking angrily back into his Palace. He feels like crying for some reason but he bypasses the urge.

"Father! Why did I hear you yell?"

He turns to his daughter. Beautiful, bright daughter.

"I was angry at the Avatar."

"Why?"

"Because he is an idiot, sometimes. And worse, he makes _me_ look like an idiot."

"Do you want me to fight him?"

He huffs.

"No. No thank you."

"But Father! I have to restore your honor!"

He laughs openly at that, seeing a smaller version of himself in her.

"No need to chase the Avatar for me, my darling."

She pouts, kicking the floor.

"Can you do the horstrich for me then?" she asks in her meekly voice.

She is still a child. Zuko takes her in his arms and installs her onto his shoulders.

"Yip, yip!" she says, griping his neck to maintain her balance.

She giggles as he starts running into the hallways, looking for his wife. He will apology and she will forgive him. At least, he still has that daughter to cherish and cuddle until another man takes her away from him.

"You are the best, Father!" she claims with a smile.


	6. The aftermath

"Oh! I can't even… Toph, that must be the cutest baby I _ever saw_!" squeals Suki.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Everyone is around the blind earthbender, trying to take a look at her brand new baby.

"How old is she?" asks Katara, combing the soft, jet black hair of the tiny human with her fingers.

"9 months old."

That gets soft exclamations from the women.

"And who is the father?"

Every stare turns to Zuko, impressed by his sudden delicate question. Toph just smiles and shrugs.

"I earthbent her!"

They all understand she doesn't want to talk about it, so they laugh politely. Only Toph catches the small bitterness in the Fire Lord's inquiry.

"Can I hold her?" says Aang to disperse the tense atmosphere.

"Of course!"

She hands the docile baby and the Avatar struggles to make the little girl comfortable. But soon she cries and moves to get out of his grip so he swiftly passes her to Katara.

"Hello, baby Lin!" she coos.

Lin doesn't appreciate and starts to scream, her face red and unhappy.

"But Kya loved being talked to!" complains the waterbender.

"Well, every baby is not your daughter!" comments Zuko.

The presence of that damned child makes him nervous. Lin turns her head to his voice and smiles.

"Well, she seems to like you" notices Katara.

She takes the opportunity to dump the grouchy baby in his arms. Lin giggles as soon as she is snugged in the crook of his arm, trying to reach some metallic part of his Fire Lord clothing.

"Oh. That is even _cuter_ than the baby itself!" croons Suki.

Zuko sighs.

"Princess always had a way with the ladies" jokes Toph.

He scowls vainly at her, ignoring his bubbling daughter. No. _Toph_'s bubbling daughter.

"Let's start this picnic!" calls Sokka. "I'm starving!"

Zuko sits, being the babysitter for now. He watches the others gathering wood and food from Kuji's back. He finally dares to glance at Lin.

"You _are_ cute" he admits in a whisper.

She looks like Toph, but her eyes are different. The earthbender's irises are as wet, healthy grass under a layer of blind glass. Lin's are… paler. They have that gold gleam in them. And she definitely has his nose.

"Could you light the fire?"

Zuko snaps out of his reverie, back to Sokka.

"Yes."

He does so, producing shrieks of joy from the baby.

"You like that, don't you?" he muses.

He lights a small flame at the tip of his index, fascinating the child in his arms. She extends her chubby hand to catch it, but he doesn't want his… _the_ baby to hurt herself.

"What are you doing, Sparky? Scarring my daughter's face? I know it's a Fire Lord tradition but…"

He growls.

"Sorry. I know, I know, your honor. Not a joking matter. Can I have her back?"

He gives her the warm bundle.

"By the way, what color are her eyes?"

Zuko lifts his eyebrow.

"You mean… You don't know?"

"No I don't. I wouldn't ask if I knew."

"Green. Her eyes are green" he replies. "She probably will become a great earthbender."

"Green? Is that all?"

He looks around. Sokka is latched in Suki's back, trying to get her attention. Aang is feeding the flying bison and Katara is cleaning some water from the stream.

"They are golden when she's in the sun" he adds.

Toph smiles.

"Thanks."

She nuzzles the head of her child. Somehow, it is a happy sight to him. No one will ever know about the origins of Lin Beifong. And it is better that way.

…

Zuko is abruptly woken up by a small earthquake. He tries to sit but soon he is swallowed by the ground. He grunts as he emerges seconds later in a pitch dark place, silenced by warm, demanding lips on his. Well, it certainly isn't _Sokka_'s doing. He lights up a tiny flame just to confirm Toph's identity.

"No" he protests, pushing her away. "The deal is over."

"Oh, _come on_ Hotpants! We both didn't care about the deal…"

She latches her mouth on his pulse point, making his argumentation strenuous.

"You cared enough to leave once you were pregnant" he recalls.

Toph growls.

"Yeah. And I'm proud I did. But right now, I'm horny."

Zuko is glad she is blind as he blushes at her blunt words.

"And I won't help you with that" he counters, planning an escape plan.

"Don't be a tease, Sparky."

She kisses him again. He could make a large fire wall, blocking her. He could probably kick his way through one of the stone walls. He must be into her tent, so at worse he could call for help… He could knock her out, and then fly. But Toph puts her hand between his legs and just _pushes_. He groans in the kiss, his mind made blurry by the sweet pressure. It's been too long. Way too long. The earthbender is satisfied with her distraction, sensing that he was up to some stunt. She grazes her teeth along his jaw, undoing his underpants. Zuko curses himself for not wearing much to sleep when her short nails scratch his arms and torso, winning him over.

"Fine!" he hisses, grabbing Toph.

She squeals in contentment. He roughly flips her on her hands and knees.

"Where is _your_ daughter?" he asks.

"In a smaller tent, next to…"

Zuko cuts her in the middle of her sentence by shoving her panties out of his way. He puts aflame a branch nearby, wanting to see her. He rakes her nightgown up to her armpits. She is still perfect. The Fire Lord doesn't lose time in preliminaries, angry at her for the seducing. It is supposed to be over! But there she is, starting it all over again! He slides all the way inside with the first thrust, amazed by her conserved tightness. She probably didn't have sex for the last… well, year and a half. And 9 months since the delivery to recover. He pounds erratically to Toph's wails. She grips the soil under her fingers, her arms shaking with the force of Zuko's rhythm. Her elbows give way and her face is smashed against the ground, her ass up in the air. It hurts a bit, he's so vigorous, but she wanted that. She didn't expect the position, though. She wished for something more intimate, a happy, sensuous get-together. Right now she's being fucked like some wild foxdog. There's no love.

"Zuko… Please…"

It catches his attention. Toph Beifong never begs.

"What?" he says, annoyance in his voice, stopping suddenly.

She withdraws from him, wincing a bit. No proper preparation means no proper lubrication. He has been harsh. She flops down on her back, spreading her legs. The Fire Lord stays unaffected by the change so she bends the earth to close around his wrists and drag him closer to her.

"What _now_, Toph?" he spits.

She puts her hands on his tense face. She hurt him when she left. More than she could have thought. And now he's distrustful. She needs to fix that.

"I missed you."

Toph pecks his pinched lips a few times. Zuko doesn't relax.

"Tell me why you're so angry. Get it out" she orders.

"You told me it was over. You didn't need me anymore. I got used to, and now here you are, kissing me like we are some kind of free teenagers in a camping trip. I hate being your boy toy. I hate cheating on my wife again."

Oh. Yeah, she _did_ forget about Mai.

"I'm sorry. I promise this will be the last night. I…" she stutters. "I didn't think it through. I forgot about Mai. I just saw you with Lin today and I… Well, I didn't _see_ you, but…"

"I _get_ it Toph. You see in a different way."

"Yeah. So I saw you with her and… Do you know how hard it is to suddenly not having sex anymore? Seriously, at some point, my body hated me for leaving. So when I saw how sweet you two were together I… That relieved some _beast_ in me, I swear! You're doing weird things to my ovaries, Zuko."

He chuckles.

"Well, you aren't my first fangirl…"

She hits him gently.

"I'm sorry I was so angry" he adds. "But I really can't go on between your rejection and your… lust-filled nocturnal attacks."

"This will be the last time you cheat on your wife with me. Deal?"

He smiles.

"Deal."

"Now get back on making sweet love to me, Hotpants."

The earthbender sets his hands free and soon she has his warm fingers on her breast.

"You _do_ like them" she snickers.

"Are they… bigger?"

"Yes. I'm still breastfeeding Lin."

The fingers become warmer as he groans. Toph giggles and then moans when Zuko squeezes them against his face. She feels teeth sinking into her sensitive flesh and she shivers. The Fire Lord slowly licks at a hardened nipple, tasting something new here. Is she… lactating? Somehow it turns him on even further. Toph shouts as he bites her. He remembers the other campers nearby but decides to ignore them, for now. It is their last night. Zuko migrates north and suckles her white, porcelain neck as he penetrates her again, more gently this time. She squirms in pleasure. His pace is painstakingly languid, he builds leisurely their joy. Toph knows he's restraining himself from going faster, for her. She pushes back against his movement, obtaining a moan out of him. Zuko's grip tightens on her hips as he lifts her to have better access. Toph circles his waist with her legs, gaining leverage to slam back into him. He takes the hint and accelerates. His whole body seems to radiate pure heat and if she wasn't blind, Toph could actually see him glow faintly in the darkness. But it's a tad too much for comfort.

"Uh… Zuko… 's hot…"

Blissful, he doesn't understand her words right away. Then he notices his own gleaming skin.

"Oh! Sorry…"

The Fire Lord concentrates, absorbing the heat and returning it in his inner fire. His fingers go back to a normal temperature and Toph sighs in relief. He recalls his first time with a woman, during his honeymoon with Mai, he had left burned fingerprints on her. It was an accident, and both deep into the midst of passion they hadn't realised the mishap, the breach in his master leveled firebending. He had been so afraid of himself then it quite ruined the mood of the whole trip. But he is older now, and he overcame that problem long ago. Until Toph, of course. Zuko doesn't freak out this time. She is feeling safe, relaxed with him. She trusts him. So he goes on with his thrusts, seeking to make her climax. She isn't far away from the edge, panting and moaning and whispering his name in an erratic breath. Be he knows he can't go on with her. He has to… pull out. Zuko can't take the risk of getting her pregnant again. As soon as he feels her walls clamp around him and her whole body shuddering into stillness he bites his lip. He rides through her orgasm, Toph whimpers when he can't hold on anymore and draws out, spilling his seed onto her stomach. Her brain full of fog, she wonders why he didn't come inside like every time. She slowly realizes those times when the danger of having consequences was de facto their motivation is over. So she cuddles near him before sliding her own finger down her navel and collecting his warm seed. She licks herself clean, enticing a lazy moan from Zuko.

"I don't like to waste" she explains.

He huffs a smile.

"Toph?"

"Yes?"

"You told me it is the last time I am cheating on my wife."

"Uh. Yes. I did."

"What if I don't have a wife anymore?"

She closes her eyes.

"You want to divorce her?"

"Oh. No."

"Don't kill her for me Zuko. You'll regret it."

"No, Toph! I won't kill Mai! Where do you…? Never mind. But you know time is something fleeting. And Mai's family rarely reaches the 60 years old…"

"Are you asking me to wait for you until your wife dies of old age, Father Lord?" she interrupts.

"I… Yes."

"Deal."

He laughs. Really, she thinks it's the first time she hears that. His real, happy laugh.

"It's not like I was planning anything for the next few decades of my life… Except from making my daughter an incredible bender…"

He kisses her. Outside, dawn is rising.

What they don't know yet is that Toph will die too young, leaving Lin to the post of Chief Police too soon. She will be shortly followed by Aang to the grave. Maybe a hundred years trip in an iceberg wasn't so good for his health after all. Sokka will die in a storm. He will be trying out a faster fishing ship for the Water Tribe people, never to be seen again. Suki will follow the next month, grief stricken. Zuko will leave the Fire Nation's throne to his daughter, being with Katara the only Gaang survivors to see the new Avatar. Korra's attitude will remind him of Toph, someway. He will stay in Republic City to watch after their daughter, even if Lin Beifong is one of the strongest people he will ever meet. They will have good rapports and she will forever ignore the link between uncle Sparky and her father. Zuko will die at a great age, wishing it has been sooner. He will never kiss Toph again after that fateful night under a stone tent, sticking to the deal the both made to wait for each other to be free again.


End file.
